Symposium 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Character Strengths Interventions Schools: A Review And Suggested Model (#400)

Shiri Lavy 1
  1. The Department for Leadership and Policy in Education , The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

Children’s personal development to their fullest potential has been chosen by the United Nations as the first core obligation of education (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; CRC, 1989/1990; Article 29). Several other leading organizations around the globe (e.g., OECD, NRC) highlight similar ideas. Character strengths, as conceptualized by Peterson and Seligman (2004) are hypothesized to provide a conclusive list of positive human attributes, and their use and practice are considered a central path for human development and fulfilment. Thus, their practice and development in education organizations are of crucial importance, and is pursued in several schools in various countries. However, an integrative understanding of best-practices for developing character strengths in schools is still lacking. In the proposed presentation, I will review the literature on character strengths interventions in schools and their effects, while pointing to common components and structures, and reviewing mechanisms targeting students (e.g., curriculum, extra-curricular activities, relationships), teachers (e.g., training, supervisors, job characteristics), and schools (e.g., evaluation processes, resource allocation, organizational characteristics), and considering the interplay between these different levels. I will conclude by outlining an integrative model for fostering character strengths’ development in schools, and discuss its applications for research and practice.